Latest Illinois' Best News

Illinois’s Joseph Bertrand showed off some acrobatics on Wednesday night against Georgia Tech, including the twisting shot in this video. Up 62-58 in the second half, Bertrand takes the ball almost the length of the court, leaps a good distance from the rim, twists in the air, and banks the shot in off the glass. And he drew the foul. Bertrand finished with 15 points, one of four Illini players in double digits. Here’s another nice play by Bertrand.

It was a hard days work for Illinois football coach Tim Beckman on Friday. Or perhaps, he really felt like bonding with standout linebacker Jonathan Brown. Either way, the first-year head coach capped Friday’s practice with a plunge in the ice bath. No joke. And from the picture @IllinoisFootball tweeted, it sure seemed as though Beckman enjoyed the cold temperatures. See the photo in this post. Illinois fans have to like this side of Beckman. It’s always nice to see coaches interacting and having fun with their players off the field. This definitely falls under that category. My question: Which

What’s the craziest thing you’ve asked an athlete to autograph? Maybe one of his or her game-worn sweatbands. Or your forehead. Well, an Illinois fan recently asked Illini offensive lineman Graham Pocic to sign his baby. OK, not the actual baby, but the baby’s miniature Illinois jersey. It made for a terrific photo op. See the picture, courtesy of the Fighting Illini Football Facebook page, in this post.

It was Illinois Day on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, and as part of the festivities, first-year Illinois football coach Tim Beckman sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch. See photos, courtesy of @IlliniFootball, of Beckman taking part in the Wrigley Field staple in this post. [ChicagoTribune.com: Watch Beckman sing the Seventh Inning Stretch] [BTN.com: Read and watch all of our Big Ten Media Day coverage] Great job singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by @coachbeckman! #illini #B1GFootball @cubs pic.twitter.com/Jst3mC6y — Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) July 28, 2012 Beckman on WGN radio at the

For most baseball games, the introduction of the starting line-up is unremarkable. But last Friday, Illinois freshman infielder Michael Hurwitz and senior pitcher Nick Chmielewski had a little fun on camera. The duo donned a couple of mustaches and got into character as they introduced the starting line-up for their game against Nebraska. Watch the entertaining video now and see another memorable lineup rendition from last season in this post. Which one is better? Cast your vote. Former Gopher Luke Rasmussen is no stranger to hilarious intros, either: Find more “Did You See This?’ videos, see other Illinois’ Best videos,

March 26, 2005, forever will hold a special place in Illinois men’s basketball fans’ hearts. It was on this day, after all, that the top-ranked Illini pulled off one of the more memorable comebacks in NCAA tourney history (AP recap). Down 15 points with four minutes left in the Chicago Regional final against No. 3 seed Arizona, Illinois rallied all the way back to force overtime, where it carded an unforgettable 90-89 victory. Watch a video of the unbelievable comeback in this post. Find more “Did You See This?’ videos, see other Illinois’ Best videos, and subscribe to our free

If you missed the nightcap of our BTN Super Wednesday doubleheader, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings, you missed quite the display from Illinois’ Joseph Bertrand. On a few occasions, it was as if he was putting on his own dunk contest. Two of Bertrand’s better dunks can be seen in this post. As for the one posted here, well, let’s just say the Illinois sophomore nearly jumped out of the gym. BTN announcer Gus Johnson loved it so much, he was going crazy during the replays. It was that good – even though it came in a 67-62 home loss.

The 1988-89 Big Ten basketball season was one for the ages and the league was stacked with great teams and players. Indiana was a powerhouse and Illinois would wind up in the Final Four. As the Hoosiers and Illini prepare to play tonight, (8 p.m. ET, BTN/BTN2Go) look back at this incredible moment from their 1989 game at Indiana. In the first of an ongoing series called “I Hit It To Win It” let’s relive Nick Anderson’s buzzer-beating three-pointer. Do you remember it? Indiana’s Jay Edwards also had a remarkable shot in the waning moments, too. BTN’s Jordan Cornette sits

Tuesday’s Michigan State-Illinois game was far from a thing of beauty. In the final minutes of the first half, in fact, ESPN play-by-play guy Mike Tirico begged, “This half NEEDS to end!” As inept as the offenses were in the 42-41 decision at Assembly Hall, there were a couple highlights: Meyers Leonard’s alley-oop and Brandon Paul’s poke. Sitting on a goose egg early, Leonard slammed home his latest alley-oop, this one as impressive as any as the feed was well behind him. As for Paul, well, he saw an opening and threw it down with authority. Watch Leonard’s oop now

Illinois’ Brandon Paul had a night to remember Tuesday. The junior exploded for 43 points and eight 3-pointers, both career highs, in Illinois’ upset victory over No. 5 Ohio State. He also played his share of defense, with a career-high four blocks and two steals. Basically, he was a star on both ends of the floor. Never was that more evident than on a late sequence where he hit a fadeaway 3-pointer and stuffed preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Jared Sullinger on the ensuing play. Watch the sequence now. Also, check out another one of his blocks and